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Birdland Big Band opens Cultural Enhancement Series on Oct. 15

The Birdland Big Band, directed by Tommy Igoe, will open the 2012-13 season of WKU’s Cultural Enhancement Series with a performance on Oct. 15.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at Van Meter Hall. The show is free and open to faculty, staff, students and the community. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

The Birdland Big Band was created by Igoe in 2006 and has become the most popular weekly musical residency in New York City. The BBB is a world-class music event and is comprised of the country’s finest top-shelf talent, including musicians from every jazz/pop tour and Broadway show imaginable. The band’s newest recording, Eleven, has received numerous five-star reviews and is in the Grammy conversation for three separate awards.

Igoe, one of the world’s most prominent drummers and bandleaders, began drumming at the age of 2 and has gone on to craft a unique and diverse career, traveling the world with Art Garfunkel, Blood Sweat and Tears, Dave Grusin, Stanley Jordan and the New York Voices among many others. In 1997, he created the drumset book for “The Lion King” on Broadway, also serving as principal drummer and conductor. Igoe is dedicated to world-class music education, writing some of the world’s best-selling books and DVDs. He currently lives in San Francisco where his new band, The Tommy Igoe Big Band, enjoys a weekly residency at the Rrazz Room.

The 2012-13 Cultural Enhancement Series season also will include lectures by authors Garrison Keillor and Jon Meacham and performances by Ailey II and Chanticleer.